nitrc:Future User Guide - Tool/Resource Feature: Tracker
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The Tracker allows users to report and store items like bugs, feature requests, support submissions, etc. You may use this system to track almost any kind of data. Each tracker may have its own set of permissions covering whether it is open to the public and whether it allows submissions from those who are not members of the tool/resource. You can also easily move items between trackers when needed. Trackers may be set up for any kind of report, but when a tool/resource is created, NITRC creates four trackers automatically:
- Bugs: Allows users to report and track issues/problems with the tool/resource.
- Support: Allows users to request and receive support in using the tool/resource.
- Patches: Allows developers to upload patches to the tool/resource.
- Feature Requests: Allows users to request enhancements to the tool/resource.
The tool/resource administrators have the option to not display these or any tracker that may have been created for their tool/resource.
The following descriptions apply to any of the trackers. The description uses the Bugs tracker, but the functionality for every tracker is the same. To get to the Bugs tracker, click the tool/resource menu "Tracker" link, and then click on the "Bugs" tracker name.
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Submitting a New Bug
Any registered user may submit a bug for a tool/resource. Click on "Submit New" at the top of the page. The Submit New page that is displayed may or may not have introductory text before the submission form. The administrator can choose to display text at the top of this page. (See Update Settings for more information on how to add/edit the introductory text.) The submission form allows you to insert/select the following data:
Required Fields—indicated by a red asterisk (*) where you must enter data
- Assigned To: If you have administration privileges on the Bugs tracker, you may assign the item to a developer or other appropriate tool/resource member. Only members who have been granted "Tech" permissions for the Bugs tracker can have bugs assigned to them. Only those members are listed here.
- Priority: If you have administration privileges on the Bugs tracker, you may select the priority of the item. In the Browse Bugs list and the users' personal pages, priorities are displayed in different colors, and bugs can be ordered by priority.
- Summary: Give a short description of the bug, e.g., "Logout function gives an SQL Error."
- Detailed Description: State the problem, giving examples, triggers, manifestations, etc.
| Note: Special markup is allowed for the detailed description. A WYSIWYG editor is provided to make this easier for commonly used markup, but you may directly enter the special markup in this box. To edit the source code directly, click the "BBCode" button in the WYSIWYG editor.
Special markup for the detailed description:
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| Note: If you choose "Quote" for the style in the WYSIWYG editor, the editor assumes a new paragraph when you press "Enter" on your keyboard and a new box is created. To stay in the same box and move to the next line, press "Shift" and "Enter" on your keyboard. |
Suggested Fields
- Attach Files: You may also upload a file—a screen shot with the error or log file, for instance—as an attachment to the bug. To upload the file, select a file using the "Browse" button.
| Note: Attachments to tracker items can be no larger than 256KB. Other fields may also be displayed on the form, as the tool/resource administrator may define custom fields for each tracker. When all required fields are filled, click the "Submit" button to insert the new bug. |
- Custom Fields: Other data may be submitted depending on the tracker. For the default Bugs tracker, this includes Resolution, Version, Operating System, Hardware, URL, Severity, Component, and Product. Custom fields are managed by the tool/resource administrator. (See Manage Custom Fields for more information on custom fields.)
Browsing Bugs
Default
Any user may browse existing bugs. Click on "Bugs: Browse" at the top of the page. There may or may not be some introductory text at the top of the Browse Bugs page. The administrator can choose to display text at the top of this page. (See Update Settings for more information on how to add/edit the introductory text.) By default the Browse Bugs page uses the following search criteria: Assignee = Any, State = Open, Order By = ID, and Direction = Ascending. The system default for the bug list shows the ID, Summary, Open Date, Close Date, Priority, Assigned To, and Submitted By fields. The tool/resource administrator may customize the default fields displayed. (See Update Settings for more information on customizing the default display fields.) The colored priority field indicates different levels of priority for each bug, and an asterisk near the open date indicates that the request is more than 30 days old. The overdue time is configurable for each tracker; the default is 30 days. When you click on the summary, you go to the Bug Detail page where you can view more information on the bug. Registered users may update the information on the Bug Detail page.
| Note: The system remembers the last search that you performed for a particular tracker. When you change the search filter through "Quick Query" or "Power Query" (discussed below), the system remembers this. Even if you log out of the system and log back in, the initial list of bugs displayed is based on the last search that you performed. To update the list of bugs shown, modify the filter and click "Execute Query" in the Quick Query section or select a saved filter and click "Execute Query" in the Power Query section. |
Quick Query
The Quick Query section gives you a limited ability to change the search criteria and sort order for your bug list. The system default allows you to filter the bugs by Assignee or by State. If the tool/resource administrator has chosen to eliminate these fields from the display, then these fields will not be available as a filter in this section, and the system searches for "Any" assignee and/or "Any" state. You may change the sort order of the bug list by selecting a field from the "Order by" box. Only those fields displayed in the bug list (by system default or by tool/resource administrator setting) are available for selection in the "Order by" box. You may order the list as ascending or descending. If you change any of the browsing criteria, you must click the "Execute Query" button to update the list of bugs.
Power Query - Customized Search
Registered users can create and store filters to narrow their browsing results even further. To create a custom filter, click the "Build Query" button in the Power Query section toward the top of the page. In the Build Query window, enter a name for the filter, select the data you want to filter on and the sort criteria, and then click the "Save Changes" button. Refresh your browser window to redisplay the Browse Bugs page. The filter you created is now in a drop down box below the "Build Query" button. Select the filter and click the "Execute Query" button. The resulting list of bugs is now limited to those that match the filter you selected. You can modify or delete the filter by clicking the "Build Query" button. In the Build Query window, select the filter that you would like to modify or delete, select "Load Query," and click the "Save Changes" button. If you want to modify the filter, make your changes, make sure "Update Query" is selected, and click the "Save Changes" button. If you want to delete the filter, select "Delete Query," and click the "Save Changes" button.
Power Query - Customized Display
Registered users can also customize the fields displayed in the bug list through the Power Query. The standard fields shown in the bug list are either the system default fields (ID, Summary, Open Date, Close Date, Priority, Assigned To, and Submitted By) or the default fields set by the tool/resource administrator for this tracker. There may be other fields available for a tracker item, including State, Resolution, or custom fields that were created by the tool/resource administrator. You may choose to display any and all of the fields available for the tracker. You may also sort by any of these fields. Click the "Build Query" button to create or modify a custom filter as described above. Toward the bottom of the Build Query window is a "Fields Shown In "Browse" View" selection box. Select all the fields that you want displayed in the bug list on the Browse Bugs page. Select the field you want to sort on and save the query. Be sure to click the "Execute Query" button to update the bug list.
| Note: If you are looking for a particular bug by ID or Summary, use the simple search feature as described in the Search section of this User Guide. |
Modifying a Bug
On the Bug Detail page, any registered user can add comments to the bug.
| Note: Special markup is allowed for a comment. A WYSIWYG editor is provided to make this easier for commonly used markup, but you may directly enter the special markup in this box. To edit the source code directly, click the "BBCode" button in the WYSIWYG editor.
Special markup for a comment:
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| Note: If you choose "Quote" for the style in the WYSIWYG editor, the editor assumes a new paragraph when you press "Enter" on your keyboard and a new box is created. To stay in the same box and move to the next line, press "Shift" and "Enter" on your keyboard. |
The user who submitted the bug can also upload files. A member with administration privileges can modify all the data associated with the bug (see Submitting a New Bug above for data fields). In addition, an administrator can modify the following data:
- Data Type: This drop-down box lists the trackers for the tool/resource. If you select a different tracker and submit the changes, the item will be reassigned to the selected tracker. This is very useful when, for example, you want to reassign a bug as a feature request.
- State: The state indicates the status of the item. When an item is inserted, it is created in the "Open" state. When you fix a bug, you should change the state to "Closed".
- Resolution: This indicates the resolution of a "Closed" item.
- Canned Responses: Canned responses are prefixed responses. You may create canned responses for your tool/resource by clicking "Admin" next to the drop-down box. Enter the title and message for the response, then click the "Submit" button to create the canned response. You may select a canned response from the drop-down box. All responses are visible to all users.
The Change Log on the bottom of the Bug Detail page shows the changes applied to the item in chronological order with the most recent changes at the top.
Downloading Bug List
Any user can download the list of bugs on the Browse Bugs page to a comma-separated value (csv) file. Run a query to get the desired list of bugs, and then click the "Download .csv" link at the top of the page. Depending on your browser and software configuration, you will either see the list displayed in a spreadsheet in your browser window or spreadsheet application or you will see the download dialog box. In any case, you may save the bug list as a .csv file locally on your computer for future reference.
Monitoring Bugs
| Note: When a tool/resource registration is approved, the administrator is automatically set to monitor the default trackers that are created. |
Any registered user can monitor the Bugs tracker. If you select "Monitor" at the top page, tracker monitoring will be enabled. When you are monitoring the Bugs tracker, every change to any bug will be sent to you by e-mail. (If you do not want to receive an e-mail notice for your own changes, go to your Account Maintenance page and check "Do not send me forum, task, or tracker email notices generated by my actions.")
To disable Bugs tracker monitoring, click "Stop Monitor" at the top of the page.
To monitor a particular bug, click "Monitor" next to the envelope icon on the Bug Detail page. When you monitor a particular bug, you will only receive e-mail when there are changes to that particular bug. (If you do not want to receive an e-mail notice for your own changes, go to your Account Maintenance page and check "Do not send me forum, task, or tracker email notices generated by my actions.")
To disable bug monitoring, click "Stop Monitoring" next to the envelope icon on the Bug Detail page.
Reporting
The Reporting functions allow you to views graphs of the activity of a bug. Only tool/resource members may access the Reporting function. Click "Reporting" at the top of the page, and then select one of the reports:
- Response Time: This report shows the turnaround time for closed bugs (life span for a bug starts when it is inserted/opened and ends when it is closed), the number of bugs inserted, and the number of bugs still open.
- By Assignee: This report shows information on each tool/resource member who has assigned bugs. The information includes the number of bugs assigned to the member and the percentage of total bugs assigned.
